What is The Church?

L. Scott Hamby

Senior Pastor First Baptist Church

“The Church” has come to mean so many different things to so many different people. For some, it points to the building or a location where they attend a service with religious content. For others, it has a broader meaning for religion in general. Yet, even others see it as a weekly intersection with people like themselves for social purposes. The Church can refer to a group of people banding together of like beliefs, from Christian concepts to satanic themes to atheistic thoughts. The government, communities and various people groups all offer a definition.

Who is right? To answer that we would need to find an authoritative source document. With archeological, scientific and historical evidence, it is clear the Bible is that document.

The Bible has much to say about The Church. The God-head reveals in the written word Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church, the ownership belongs to God alone, the identity is in Christ alone, and the composition is of true believers alone who are saints and sinners simultaneously. From the holy scriptures, we learn there is a very specific mission, a purpose and a call for The Church, each one separate, yet interconnected.

This living dynamic organism called The Church is constantly being orchestrated by the Designer to accomplish the work of His Kingdom. When a church understands these elements, it will create an encounter with the holy God yielding an experience that will transcend our imagination of what church should be. As believers position themselves individually under God to be used by Him in a corporate environment, the results will be astounding.

“What makes a church distinct — powerful — is God’s presence in that church, God Himself working and manifesting Himself in spite of the weaknesses and limitations of the people involved.” (James MacDonald)

The challenge, then, is to hear, learn and apply these elements. At First Baptist Church Elkins, we are studying this on Sunday and Wednesday with the goal of entreating God’s presence in, around and through us for the purpose of exceeding our history, our weaknesses and our ambitions in order to bring glory to God.

Join the learning through the Sunday teachings we have already completed, which may be found online at elkinsfbc.com under the resources tab, then join in person at 10:45 a.m. for the current lesson.